When I’m in the living room, and everyone’s either watching TV or glued to their phones, it’s all normal.
But the moment I sit there quietly with a novel, I suddenly become the problem.
“Talk to us.”
“Why are you always in your own world?”
“Why are you stepping back from everyone?”
I don’t get it. If I were watching reels or texting silently, no one would say a word. But somehow, reading a book = being distant?
Let me live, please.
by riyagupta_30
11 Comments
What answer do you get when you ask *them* that?
Why? Because you’re apparently surrounded by idiots, sorry.
I’d argue reading a book is more social. You can really connect with someone by talking about a book you’ve both read.
Translation: “You are different and it makes us uncomfortable.”
Who are these morons you’re living with?
In my humble opinion, it might be people’s go to response for feeling bad for not reading, so they try to bring you down.
I read somewhere that being the only one not scrolling social media in a room feels like being a non-smoker in the 1950s: everyone around you is doing it, and you can’t help but be affected by their addiction whether you like it or not.
Matilda? Is that you?
There’s no interrupting scrolling a phone since there’s nothing really to interrupt.
Whereas if you interrupt me reading a book I’m gonna be annoyed as hell. That’s more similar to listening to music with earbuds on.
And then someone yanking them out. Who ever figured that’s ok
Because they’re on screens so that’s normal and okay. You’re doing something different, so that’s weird and not okay.
The fact that the outcome is basically the same is irrelevant.
Because on the phone it’s assumed you’re checking stuff quickly or doomscrolling, which would be something acceptable to interrupt; whereas if you’re reading it’s assumed you have to be “in the zone” so a distraction would be more actively annoying.
Same with videogames: they hace a pause button.